Skywalker Saga: Book 2: Part 3
by JeanDream
Summary: The second book in a trilogy-chronicles the life of Mareana Skywalker on Endorisa


Explanation:

I started writing these stories when I was 16 years old, about 5 years ago. This was, of course, before the prequels came out, before I knew anything about them. It is basically a retelling of events, adding in another character. I had originally started this retelling at Star Wars: A New Hope, but my old computer ate my file. So I started where I had left off, summarizing what I had already written. I also realize that the timing of some of the events is off, but I don't feel like fixing it, so please put up with it. (from Book 1)

I think these stories are a little odd, but I was a teenager at the time, so it's somewhat understandable. Here is the third part of the second book in the trilogy. I am posting this book in three installments because it is very large. Please tell me any opinions you have in reviews or through emailing me at jean_mn@yahoo.com.

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Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

A New Beginning

Book 2: The Trials and Tribulations of Mareana Skywalker

By JeanDream

Part 3:

The hate, the pain, the fear, it poured down on her at once. She crumpled to the ground in agony.

"No!" she wailed, "it can't be true! No!!"

Mareana stifled her sobs and rose to stare at the loathesome book in disgust and utter pain. 

The Emperor had been her uncle. Her mother's brother. Mareana's blood relative. He had known it all along, and not even informed her of it.

She slammed the book shut and sunk to the floor, tears running down her face. Mareana willed them to stop, but to no avail. She just had to let it go. 

What will Luke say? She wondered in misery. What will he do? Mareana imagined that her husband would be overcome with horror to learn that his wife was the niece of the evil being who had tried to kill him. 

Lilia ran to her mother. The little girl wrapped her arms around the woman.. She didn't know what was making her mother sad, but she knew that her mom needed a big hug at the moment..

Mareana took Lilia in her arms and held her. "I love you, my little angel." She struggled to pull herself together. They still had to find an escape route out of the palace. 

"I love you too, Mommy," Lilia replied lovingly. "But I think we'd better get out of here."

"You read my mind," Mareana grunted as she stood up, hoisting Lilia onto her back.

They made their way out of the long forgotten throne room quickly and silently, not once looking back. 

Once free of the clouds and invisible forces that were pulling her, Mareana could easily see the way out of the Palace in her mind. The Force guided them through the dark corridors and passages. Mareana felt no fear as they pressed on with their voyage, she could sense a calm pass through Lilia as well.

When they finally reached the end of the halls, a ramshackle door greeted them. It was old, and crumbling from time. Mareana reached out with the Force and pushed the barrier aside. 

The light of day spilled forth, and mother and child Jedi both shielded their eyes. Tentatively, they stepped outside. The place appeared to be the gardens in the back of the palace. Flowers hung from trellises and stone paths twisted about. A forest loomed at the end of the garden. The Force instructed her to follow the forest line; it would surely lead them to safety.

Luke Skywalker blended into the shadows, avoiding the eyes of Sanab's guards. He moved quickly and surely, filled with a determination that he had never felt before.

The other times that he had performed "heroic" acts, he had indirectly saved thousands, even millions of lives. The demolition of the Death Star had been one of those moments. But now, his mission was personal. His family was at stake, the family he had just about lost less than five years before.

Luke glided into the throne room, still invisible to the mortal eye. He detected Sanab sitting on a regal chair, in the front of the room. His bodyguards stood at attention on each side. Sanab's face wore an irritated, almost annoyed expression. He spoke to a sentry in a barely controlled rage.

"Find them," he ordered. "I don't care if they are Jedi. There is no way they could have escaped! I had that room sealed myself!"

"But, your majesty," the timid looking man replied, "there is no trace of either the woman or the child on the grounds. Sensor scans have indicated nothing out of the ordinary."

"Just find them!!" Sanab bellowed, his eyes turning dark.

"Yes, your highness, we will try," the man practically ran out of the room.

Sanab turned to one of his bodyguards. "The Jedi are more poweful than I had expected. These surprises are quite disturbing."

"You'll find that we're full of surprises, your highness," Luke's voice boomed across the room and bounced off of the walls.

The bodyguards instantly drew their weapons and searched the room, desperately attempting to locate their target.

Sanab looked startled for a moment, then a look of boiling fury engulfed his face. "Show yourself, whoever you are. Do not hide like a coward. We will find you anyway."

Luke stepped confidently out of the shadows. He sensed the coming shots before they were even fired. The snap-hiss of green light bathed the air around him as he reflexively deflected the shots.

"It is useless to fight," Luke said calmly, deflecting more shots as he approached the two guards. Without barely an effort, he cut them down to leave Sanab seething in the middle of the room.

"I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and husband of Mareana Kenobi Skywalker," Luke introduced himself, a light burning in his eyes as he came closer to the prince. "This will be a lesson to you not to challenge the Jedi. Even as I speak, my wife and child fight their way to freedom of your darkness."

Sanab sneered at Luke, but there was a frightened look in his eyes. "Do you think you scare me with your parlor tricks? Can you fight off my thousands of soldiers like these two?"

"I want to fight no one," Luke replied. "I will leave peacefully if my daughter and wife are set free."

Sanab's face turned into a stubborn scowl. "The woman is mine. You can have the child, if you wish. I want only the Jedi woman."

Luke shook his head slowly. "That 'woman' is not just an ordinary woman. She's my wife, with extraordinary powers. I love her. You do not realize what you are dealing with here."

"That is just so touching, Skywalker," Sanab snickered. "Do you really think I care how you feel about her, or even how she feels?"

Luke simply gazed at him. "Its your choice. Independence or war. The New Republic will not stand for an atrocity like this."

Sanab seemed worried. "We have our Imperial affiliations to back us up."

"The Empire is way too busy to waste soldiers in your petty conflict, Sanab," Luke explained reasonably. "Your world would be leveled."

"If that's what it takes," Sanab declared, his eyes glittering. 

Luke suddenly realized that in a strange, twisted way, this arrogant prince did love Mareana. He wanted nothing more than to be with her. It wasn't the purest of loves, and Mareana wouldn't, nor could ever love him back, but he indeed wanted her anyway.

Mareana and Lilia walked quickly through the forest, knowing that time was running short. Luke would be back to Endorisa by now, and he would need help.

An ominous, dark feeling crept over Mareana's soul. She looked up to see a curtain of evil being lowered onto the woods. Instinctively, she knew that it was a legendary Force-storm, and it would seek out a particular person to entech itself upon. 

The person, Mareana feared, was herself.

Lilia too, felt the evil. "We must run, Mommy," she cried. The little girl tugged on her mother's hand. 

Mareana scooped her up and charged up through the trail as fast as she could. The storm seemed to be gaining, however, and each step became an agony. Finally, Mareana stopped, gasping for air. She set Lilia on the ground.

"I can't go any farther," Mareana panted and sunk to her knees. "You go on, Lilia. Follow the trail."

"I won't leave you, Mommy!" Lilia cried. "I love you."

Mareana smiled glassily at her daughter, near unconsciousness. "I know."

The last gesture she made was the simple act of activating the Vanishing Star's homing device tucked inside of her pocket.

Luke's heart suddenly constricted with an unimaginable pain. He sunk despondently to his knees. The sense of despair flooded through his body. He was too late.

Sanab looked at the Jedi with surprise. He abruptly became very afraid. For the first time, he heard the savage winds howling against the windows and skylights. He looked up to see the sky had become entirely black. His eyes shone with a terror he had never felt before.

"Make it stop, Skywalker," he cried, approaching the Jedi. "You can have your wife. Just make this terrible storm stop!"

The glass from the skylights shattered and rained upon them. Luke seemed oblivious to the destructive turmoil.

Sanab shook him. "Stop it, Jedi! We're all going to die!"

Luke's gaze turned to the prince quietly, hopelessly. His eyes were an empty and bottomless blue, filled with grief and agony. Sanab had never seen anything more frightening than the Jedi's painstricken eyes.

"I can not stop this," Luke whispered. "This storm is not of my making."

He stood up slowly. Sanab kneeled before him, weeping with fright. "Please, I'll do anything! Just don't kill me."

Luke looked at him sadly. "There is nothing I can do for you now. You made the choice, between good and evil. Now, the spirit of Palpatine lives on your world, unleashed partly by your own selfish wickedness. It has destroyed my one true love." 

With a swirl of black, Luke Skywalker was gone, and Sanab was alone. He feebly crawled underneath a chair and cowered there like a wounded animal. No longer completely himself, he sobbed like a baby for help. 

But no help came.

The dark spirit of Palpatine floated over the Endorisan capital, wreaking havoc wherever it could. Revenge was the thing on its mind, revenge on Anakin Skywalker, revenge on Anakin's son, revenge on Palpatine's own blood.

He had wrenched the spirit of Mareana Skywalker out of her body just moments before. Her daughter wept beside the still physically alive body. If only that little girl knew who she was, knew her power and her potential. . .

Luke Skywalker suddenly appeared at his wife and daughter's side. His being was filled with an intense agony and grief. The Vanishing Star was just beginning its landing cycle, flattening the immense Trewas trees below it. The man gathered his wife's body and his daughter into his arms, and wept for the first time since his father died.

Palpatine smiled to himself. The first step of his revenge had acted out beautifully. Skywalker had lost the Jedi link to his love, and soon, if Palpatine had anything to do with it, he would lose everything. His children, sister, brother-in-law, everything. 

For the former Emperor knew something that no one else knew. His niece, Mareana, was pregnant with Jedi twins. Perfect Force-strong maleable minds for him to corrupt and enter. . . to live again.

Luke strapped his sobbing daughter into the navigator's chair in the cockpit of the Vanishing Star. April, now mostly refreshed and healed from her wounds, was seated in the copilot's seat. Artoo's worried thoughts scrolled across the screen in front of him.

"Yes, Mareana's alive, Artoo," Luke replied, fighting to keep his Jedi calm. "I've strapped her into the Mediunit. Too-Onebee is taking care of her. Now, you just worry about the incoming fighters and setting our course."

Artoo signaled an affirmative and turned back to his all important task.

Luke brought the ship out of the outer atmosphere, and hit the calculations switch for the navicomputer. They would go to Coruscant, for now. After that, who knew?

"There's massive shuttle bombardment on the right quarter, Luke," April told Luke calmly. A bit too calmly, Luke thought. She had definitely seen battle before, contrary to what she always said.

"Two Victory class Star Destoyers and a few Blastboats," Luke nodded. "The Vanishing Star's shields should hold up for at least six or seven direct turboblasts."

"Yeah," April agreed. "Then we can punch the hyperdrive." She grabbed some earphones and listened to the main military frequencies of the Endorisan Battle Navy.

"The fleet is signalling for us to surrender. They seem to think that we've kidnapped their new queen." April said, confusion leaking into her voice. "Why would they?. . . Mareana!"

"Yes," Luke nodded. "Sanab has tricked the whole planet into thinking that we've committed a crime against the morality of Endorisa."

April flipped the switch to power up the aft quad guns. Her blue hair was pulled back into a simple twist, and scars still dotted her face, but she still managed to look exquisitely beautiful.

"With your Jedi senses," April commented, "we should be able to survive long enough to get the coordinates from the navicomp."

Luke nodded distractedly. "Fighters coming in, twelve o'clock."

His hand curled around the fire/aim mechanisms. He relaxed into the Force and could see the small ships coming toward them, lasers firing. He squeezed the buttons and instantly eliminated three fighters. Before he knew it, he found himself pulling the hyperdrive, and feeling the gravity twist of lightspeed.

Luke let his breath out in a whoosh of relief. The shield's had held, but just barely. The Force had saved them.

April stared at him in shock. "I can't believe it! I've never seen anything like that before!" she exclaimed. 

Luke looked at her modestly. "It was nothing." 

"Nothing!" she cried incredulously.

"Daddy," a young, soft voice cut in. "Can I see Momma?"

Luke looked at his daughter with sadness. "Of course, honey." Luke unstrapped the girl and carried her in his arms to the Medical bay. 

Mareana lay on the bed, silently, unmoving. Her chest moved up and down, slowly, as if she were in a deep sleep. She looked perfectly normal on the outside, yet Luke shuddered. Her Force presence had completely disappeared.

Lilia sat on the edge of the self-conforming bed, and held her mother's hand in hers. "Wake up, Mommy," she whispered. "Lilia's here." 

Too-Onebee turned to them. The now repaired Kaytee hovered by his side.

"Sir, Mistress Mareana appears to be in quite good physical health," his mechanical voice conveyed a hint of confusion. "I do not understand why she does not regain consciousness. Her brain still shows activity on the monitor, so she isn't brain dead."

"Her spirit is gone," Luke said, his voice cracking. "Her presence in the Force is no longer here."

"I do not understand, sir," Too-OneBee replied. 

"Don't try, it'll only strain your circuits." Luke added, " Its a Jedi thing."

"Yes, sir," Too-OneBee acknowleged. "I must look at Mistress April at the moment. She still should be resting." The medic droid trudged off down the hall to find the woman.

Luke sat next to Lilia on the bed and rested his hand on his wife's face. "Mareana, please come back to me. Please."

He took her other hand and squeezed it. "Mareana, I love you," he pleaded.

Despite Luke's fervent tries, the face remained passive, like stone. Her presence was gone, and Luke couldn't do a thing about it.

Mareana looked down at her body sadly. They had taken it to Coruscant, to some of the finest and most glorified doctors in the universe. Still, the only thing they had accomplished was determining that she was pregnant with twins and perfectly healthy.

Her spirit sighed and went to the window. Ships landed and took off in the twilight hours. The sunset was a breathtaking sight, indeed. It would have been a beautiful moment to share with Luke. But, instead, she was trapped in this room with her useless body, while her family was at Leia's for an undoubtedly sad and distracted dinner.

Mareana had noticed the circles under Luke's eyes. He slept in the room every night with her. Beside her. Even though she was a vegetable, he would not forget her. She tried to reach him, to touch him, yet she could not.

A shadow suddenly appeared in the other corner of the room. An evil came over Mareana, and she shuddered. The presence was back, her uncle, the illustrious Emperor had come to torment her again.

"Leave me, Palpatine," Mareana commanded tiredly. "I do not want to speak with you."

"But I want to talk to you, my dear," the shadow rasped. "There are so many things I want to tell you."

"Well, I don't want to hear them," Mareana retorted. "And I won't listen."

"You're a child," Palpatine sneered. "You don't deserve the powers you possess, or your children, for that matter."

"Stay away from my children," Mareana warned. "Just stay away from them."

Mareana walked over to her body and Force-caressed her babies' minds. They were two little boys, six months until their birth. They would definitely be powerful in the grand scheme of the universe.

"Ah, Mareana," Palpatine cackled. "You seem to forget that these children are my flesh and blood. I have some right to them."

Mareana ignored him and the rest of his ranting. After awhile, he would get bored and sink away to some crevice or hole where he belonged.

"Suit yourself, niece," the Emperor smiled evilly. "But I will live again. . . in your own offspring!"

Mareana whirled around to see the Emperor chuckling in a wicked delight as he dematerialized and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"No," she screamed to no one, for nobody would or could hear her. "I won't let you!" She sank to her knees by the body she could not touch and weeped without end.

Its five and a half months later. Mareana is still trapped ouside her pregnant body, unable to touch any of her loved ones. Luke and Lilia haven't given up all hope, but as each day goes by, the despair on their faces grows darker. 

Her babies are due to be born any day now, and Mareana fears that they will be vulnerable to Palpatine's evil ways. He is her only company, though she would rather have none at all compared to him. Her uncle immensely enjoyed toying and taunting her, daring her to use the dark side to destroy him. Sometimes it was tempting, but Mareana knew that if she did, she would become a monster just like Palpatine.

Now, Lilia sat at Mareana's side on the bed. She placed a bouquet of exotic flowers from the Skydome gardens next to her mother's face.

"I wish you could smell these, Mommy," the now four-year old girl said. "They smell very good."

Mareana's spirit stood behind Lilia forlornly. "I wish I could too."

Lilia's head jerked around suddenly, an astonished look on her face. Her eyes were disbelieving, but could she dare to hope that now her mother had come back to her?

Mareana felt hope surge through her soul. "Lilia, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Momma," the girl bubbled excitedly. "Where are you?" "Right at your left side, dear," Mareana's voice quavered with barely held delight. The little girl turned to her right. "No, your other left side!" Mareana let out a silvery peal of laughter.

"Mommy!" Lilia shouted with glee. "I can see you, kinda!"

"Lilia," Mareana ached to hold her, but knowing it was impossible, gave her a Force caress of love. "I'm so glad I can talk to you now!"

Lilia hopped with excitement. "I gotta go get Daddy, Mom! I'll be right back!"

The little girl took off down the hall, blond hair shimmering behind her. "Daddy, Daddy," she yelled, forgetting all manners and politeness for the moment.

Mareana could hear Luke shush her. And then hear his surprised exclamation when Lilia explained to him what was going on. She heard their hurried footsteps down the hall, and saw them pound into the room with excitement.

Lilia grabbed her father's hand and pulled him right over next to Mareana's spirit. "Right here," she pointed to a place of thin air. "She's right here."

Luke looked at her doubtfully. "I don't see anything."

"I do," Lilia retorted. "Mommy says that she loves you, Daddy, and that she's locked in some kind of Force-force field with the Emperor, if you know what that means."

Luke looked at the empty space with a new kind of acknowledgement. "She is here," he whispered. "Of all times, why now would she communicate with us."

"Mommy says that she couldn't before," Lilia paused, listening to her mother. Her eyes suddenly became wide with fear. "She says that some evil guy wants to possess the twins. They're gonna be born any day now, she says."

Luke looked concerned, to Lilia anyway. Very concerned. This evil one must be very, very, very evil for Daddy to be so scared. It might even be the man who haunted her nightmares, though Lilia told no one of her horrific dreams. For some reason, she felt obligated to keep them secret.

"Mareana, is there any way we can help you?" Luke asked into the air. His blue eyes filled with tears. He had just stopped crying at night, and the circles had begun to disappear from his eyes. Now, with this new information, the depression of the last six months was threatening to reappear.

"Luke, do not be sad," Mareana was crying, herself, "just be careful, guard the children. I don't know what else you can do."

Lilia conveyed the information onto Luke, and started sniffling herself. "She's so sad, Daddy," the little girl added. "I feel so bad for her!"

Luke put his arms around his tiny daughter and held her close to him. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get Mommy back."

Lilia nodded and looked back to Mareana's spirit. The spirit gazed at her sadly for a moment, then glanced over her shoulder fearfully. Lilia was worried that the evil one was coming back. "Mommy, what is it?" She jumped up and ran to her mother worriedly.

Mareana glanced over her shoulder again, and her face suddenly became calm. "I have to go, Lilia. Tell Luke I love him. I love you too, dear. Its time I faced up to the evil within me as well to the one that is here now."

Mareana disappeared from Lilia's sense and perception. "No, Mommy, don't go!" Lilia sunk to the floor in tears. "No, Mommy!"

Luke knelt beside her. "What did she say, Lilia?" he demanded gently.

"She had to go," Lilia sobbed. "I think she was gonna fight the evil one."

Luke's gaze rested on Mareana's body, lying unmoving on the bed, very pregnant. If something traumatic was going on with her spirit, it could trigger labor in her body. And if she did win this battle with Palpatine, the only person it could conceivably be, perhaps she could reenter her body as their children were born. But if not. . . Luke didn't even want to think about the if not.

Back on the spirit level, Mareana had turned to face her ex-mentor, teacher, and perhaps even friend in a dark sort of way. Her own kin wanted to destroy her, to live again in one of her sons. The Force-strong son. Yes, Mareana knew that one of the twins had little or no talent for the Force. She didn't mind though. Mareana loved each of them equally, she just wanted to be with them, to be herself when they were born. Mareana feared that if she were not there, that Palpatine could, and would possess her son.

"The emotions conflict within you, Mareana," the Emperor hissed. "If you let me inhabit your son, I would let you go back into your body, to live as before."

"Never," Mareana knew that though Palpatine was capable of reinstating her, she could get back on her own accord, without sacrificing one of her sons.

"Suit yourself, fool," the Emperor sneered. "Your unborn children are the only things keeping you alive. After they are born, your body will die and there will be no possibility of reentering the living world."

"There is another way," Mareana whispered calmly. "I will defeat you, Uncle, then I will rejoin my family."

Palpatine's grating chuckle filled her ears. "We shall see, Mareana, we shall see!"

At that, the evil Emperor suddenly faded and dematerialized as Mareana suddenly found herself floating back, falling into a shimmering lake of glass. Memories long-forgotten floated before her. Her first ride in a landspeeder with her father driving happily recklessly, and her mother laughing worriedly and clutching onto Mareana for dear life. The not-so pleasant memory of being reprimanded my Darth Vader and getting a Force-lashing. The memory itself was painful as the scar it left on her mind. 

Finally, Mareana found herself still. She was in a time four-no, five years ago. Her face was younger, and her mind confused and frightened as it had been in those days. She was in the second Death Star. It was the face-off between Luke and Darth Vader. Everything went according to how it had transpired right up until when Mareana was supposed to have thrown her body in front of Luke to save him. 

Instead, she drew her lightsaber, and the brilliant beam of violet came into existence. "Fight me, Palpatine," she challenged. "If you dare."

The Emperor turned to her. "Yes, I will fight you, my own flesh and blood." A lightsaber materialized on his side, and he drew it.

The bright orange blade emanated with energy, and he struck ruthlessly and hatefully.

Mareana easily parried and slashed at his head, which he barely blocked. Mareana could tell that he was no swordsman, and that he would not last long against her Jedi skill. She slashed at him hungrily, revenge knawing at her from a place she did not know. Slowly, but surely, she drove him back, finally so that he reached a ledge and could go no farther. Effortlessly, she swept the lightsaber from his hands. The silver handle flew over the rail and disappeared down the shaft below.

Mareana stood over him breathing hard, realizing which a heady delight that she could kill the Emperor, the essential being of evil whom she hated with a smoldering passion. Yet, somehow, she could not bring her blade to strike the death blow.

"You have the power now, Mareana," the Emperor rasped almost triumphantly. "Kill me and such power will be yours forever. Kill me and you shall rule forever, and I with you in such a way that you could never imagine."

Mareana suddenly realized with a start, that this was not how the story went. She looked down at her abdomen and did not see her baby girl there, but twin boys vulnerable to the evil that lurked within her and around her. It was a test, a test that she had almost failed. Mareana abruptly saw that she was not saving Luke this time, but her babies' souls-and her own.

"I will not kill you," Mareana said calmly, quietly. She tossed her lightsaber aside. "I do not want the power you had, or could ever want it. It is not you I hate, Uncle, but the evil in you, and the malevolence. I have won, Palpatine. You shall live no more!"

The Emperor's face flashed with fury. "No, no! You have done it again, Fool!" His fingers extended and blue lightning coruscated from them. "You will pay, you will pay!" 

Mareana fell to the ground and writhed in agony. The babies filled with fear and uncertainty inside her as well. The Emperor did not relent, and continued pummeling her until she slipped into unconsiousness.

The pain. Mareana cried out, awake again. When would it stop? Why couldn't he stop? The lightning would kill her! Why didn't he just stop!? She was so close to death.

Wait a minute. There was no lightning. Mareana did admit to herself that she was in an intense pain, but blue lighning had nothing to do with it.

Slowly, and strangely blissfully, she realized that these were the pains of labor, the welcome pains of new life. Mareana laughed aloud, and heard her body laugh, her mouth move, the sound flow richly from it. She opened her eyes and saw the strange looks the doctors and nurses gave her, the happy curiousness they felt toward the comatose Jedi that had awakened.

Luke was beside her. She saw the delighted tears pouring from his eyes and the grip on her hand tightening. "Welcome back, my love," he choked out happily. "You're just in time to see our kids being born."

Mareana laughed again, and gasped in pain from a humongous contraction. "They're rearing to go, aren't they?" Mareana said wryly.

"Yes," Luke smiled tearfully. "Now just relax and breathe."

Mareana glanced to her other side and saw her dear friends, April and Leia standing there. They were smiling and crying with joy as well. "Its nice to see you guys," Mareana greeted. She gritted her teeth in pain as another contraction overcame her. After that was done, Mareana glanced at Leia's stomach and saw that she was thin again. "Hey, weren't you pregnant before?" she asked.

"Yes," Leia smiled. "Anakin was born two months ago."

Mareana smiled back. "Congratulations. Uh, how's Lilia?"

"Kaytee's watching over her," April replied. "She's excited to see her new brothers or sisters."

"Brothers they are," Mareana grinned. She turned to Luke but a strong jolt of pain overwhelmed her. "I think its time," she whispered dryly.

Luke nodded to her. "Just relax."

Mareana relaxed- or tried to anyway. She could sense the babies' fear, as they made their way toward a new world. She caressed them with her Force sense and soothed. The little minds cried to her, and she cried to them. Its okay, little ones, she said to them silently. The pain was great for her, and the babies were so frightened. 

And almost as soon as the birth began, it was all over. The cries of precious new lives filled the air, beautiful music, tender melodies sung by a thousand generations. She held the twins in her arms, one Force strong, one Force weak. Mareana loved her sons equally, with no abandon, with no end. Dark hair covered their heads, and emerald-green eyes smiled out at them. Mareana sighed. They were so beautiful.

Mareana handed the firstborn-the Force weak boy, to Luke. "His name will be Luke," Mareana whispered. She supposed that to some people it would seem an injustice that she named the weak son after an all powerful Jedi Knight. Mareana didn't care though. He was special, anyhow. He had his own power.

Luke took the baby and nodded in joy. He knew that this child was not powerful in the Force, and it did bother him a little bit, but he would not hold it against the boy. "What is the other's name?" he asked.

"I think I want to name him Ben," Mareana said. "After my father."

"Good choice," Luke nodded with approval. "I think that Lilia should come and see her new brothers."

"Yes," Mareana agreed. 

"I'll go get her," April offered, and left the room to fetch the girl. 

Mareana imagined holding her daughter in her arms again. It would be so sweet. She could see the joy that the little one would feel when she saw her baby brothers and Mareana back to normal.

Lilia came running into the delivery room, with April in tow.

"Mommy," she squealed, and hugged her mother lovingly, being careful not to hurt the baby in Mareana's arms. "I'm so glad you came back to us!" She hugged her mother for a few moments more, and them turned to her brothers with interest. "What are their names?"

"This one is Ben," Mareana explained, "and Daddy's holding Luke Jr."

"Wow," she exclaimed and carefully touched the tiny fingers and face.

Mareana looked to her husband happily and felt such tenderness and intimacy toward him. She had never felt so close to her family as she did now. Though, they had braved so many disasters, and would encounter countless more, Mareana knew that they could survive anything now. They were Jedi, everyone of them. And a Jedi's spirit lasted forever.


End file.
